Glucocorticoid Induced Leucine Zipper: Gatekeeper for CD8+ T cell activation and anti-viral responses

Killer T cells provide defence against viruses and cancer. In some people, they are inappropriately activated and direct their killing functions to target healthy tissues. This drives autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 Diabetes. However, there are mechanisms in place to ensure that killer T cells only become activated in appropriate situations such as viral infections. This thesis has examined the role of a molecule called the Glucocorticoid Induced Leucine Zipper (GILZ) in killer T cell biology. I have shown that GILZ is a crucial checkpoint for killer T cell activation and must be switched off in order to generate appropriate responses against influenza virus.